Hey People. Thanks for stopping by.
Welp, I’ve run out of Ovation. And as I promised, I am giving you a full-out review of Ovation Cell Therapy. I’ll try to give you all the Pros and Cons of this product.

So in between braiding, I gave my hair a good wash down first with MicroTek Shampoo, a great wash that is good for stripping any dirt and oils out your hair and killing any bacteria/germs on your scalp for good hair growth. Been good to me since I ran out of that Neutrogena a few months ago. From there, I thoroughly washed the hair again with the Ovation Shampoo. Lightly scented and an interesting blue color, its took to my hair nicely and have me a good lather from the get go. Wasnt too heavy or harsh, and when rinsing, didn’t leave it dry at all. I actually noticed a softer curl to my hair than I usually get with other shampoos… their MegaTek line included.

From there, I put in the rinse out conditioner, the Ovation Cell Therapy itself. It has the same texture and smells much like its cousin, MegaTek Pet Rebuilding Conditioner. It goes into your hair and give it this weird rubbery texture or feeling, but I put it in knowing I was going to leave it in for at least 15 to 20 minutes while I did my thing in the shower. At the end of that 20 minutes… my hair was feeling WELL moisturized and incredibly softer, which is the exact same thing the pet rebuilding conditioner did… but Ovation definitely left it softer.

Finally, I went ahead and put a nice amount of The Ovation Creme Rinse In… that’s the one that you can leave in or use as a daily conditioner if you wish. I just left that in for the last 5 minutes of my shower. Once again, beautifully scented, this went into my hair with a completely different feeling than the Cell Therapy itself… just thick and creamy going in and coming out. Gave my hair a nice bounce and lightly conditioned feeling even after rinsing… and without leaving a residue type-feeling in my hair. And left it smelling nice and fresh (as most shampoos should).

Now while I got a great ideal of how the products felt and worked on my hair in the shower, it wasnt until I went to work on my hair where I really felt the results come through. Now with my lovely 4B hair, combing through it post shower is pretty complex. Welp, not this time around. Between the two Ovation Conditioners, my hair was incredibly soft and manageable… and surprisingly easy to get the wide tooth comb through. I was pretty surprised actually. Also, not a lot of breakage while I’m combing through it… really important to me, since my hair is easy and prone to breaking whenever it feels like it, basically.

After hitting it with some Infusium 23 and a SMALL amount of Darcy’s Peach Kernal Oil, I set my hair up for the blowdry. And I have to say, the biggest results came here. My hair was so soft after blowdrying. It was actually kind of weird. It was well moisturized without feeling to heavy. And it’s actually become better with each use.

Its been a minute since I’ve sat down and blogged like this, so I’ve had the chance to use the whole thing since coming in. And my hair has just become softer and easier to manage after each use. And I actually MEAN that. It’s not like those commercials that say that in their adverts, then you use it and your hair still feels like crap afterwards. No. This stuff actually worked. And when it comes to leaving your hair soft, manageable and incredibly healthy feeling, this is just about one step up from where MegaTek had me at when I used their products.

Growth for my hair was on par as well… nothing accelerated that I could see by eye, but then again, please consider that I’m using at least 2 other products (Shapley’s MTG, rosemary) for rapid growth. Its kinda like adding extra icing on the cake. Not really gonna make a difference, but its good to have there. lol. I do see much healthier hair than I’ve had with other products in the past. My breakage with this product was normal. Nothing heavy and no unusual shedding. The only thing that’s beating this line of product when it comes to no breakage is the MegaTek Pet Rebuilder. Doesnt leave the supersoftness that Ovation does, but it can stop some hair breakage in a quick minute (with consistent use).

Basically, thumbs are up for Ovation Cell Therapy. I’m don’t know about accelerated hair growth, but it’s defintely great for keeping it soft and manageable. Also really good for bringing out the color in your hair as well. The shampoo is really great for that. As for MegaTek…. since you know… they are the same company… I love their leave in conditioner but I’m also gonna be looking into new ones pretty soon. I will be keeping their MegaTek Pet Rebuilder in heavy for a while… I really like the anti-breakage properties on this one. Its been really consistant and helpful when my hair gets weak or dry… keeps it from breaking.

Also, I’ll be picking up a bottle of MegaTek’s new leave in, silicone/oil free leave in conditioner… their new Avocado Extract spray. It looks and sounds like it has potential. Ill keep you updated.

After 15 years, the dryer finally gave out on me.
now the added expense/work of finding a new dryer is in order.
now im in no mans land, as i have no ideal whats good out there in hair DRYER land.
hoping you guys out there might have some suggestions for me, as to a quality (but not obnoxiously expensive) hair dryer for that good old 4B textured hair.
i see all kindsa things like ceramic ionizing stuf… oh boy. lol. might just call the hairdresser on this one.

im also looking into vitamins for my hair as well… sometimes this just sounds like a scam, but doing the research, i can see how this can play an important role in hair growth. so im open to any suggestions there too.

unless you guys know anything? please share. if not, ill do the research and post about it later. lol.

hey people.
well, something interesting i ran across while going through blog details. it looks like someone out there found me through an interesting search term that i wish i would have thought of sooner: “using lay it on thick bath and body on hair.” WOW. well, i got a couple thoughts and ideals on this one for you, if youre out there reading this.

first of all… whoever you are, you are GENIUUUUUS. i dont know why i didnt think about this sooner. maybe i did, and i forgot because i stopped using the product for a year or two. but once i saw that search term, light bulbs started flashing in my head.

now we need to get specific. now while the lay it on thick shea butter is a GREAT moisturizer for your skin and hands (especially in this dry, cold season) and has great potential for your hair… i want you to know about their lotion product that is made SPECIFICALLY for your hands… the Lay It On Thick Hand Cream. this one, the last time i remember, has added biotin and shea oil for brittle nails… which is also AWESOME for your hair. also, its fragrance free, which is also a plus since i dont need any extra chemicals in my hair. i will be watching out for anything like waxes or things like that… dont need any surprises when i try to wash out my hair.

so yeah. thanks for the great ideal. and your timing was even better; they are having a buy two, get two free sale at B&B right now. im going to buy now, and start this ideal with my new braiding cycle. and i will definitely keep you updated.

Why? Well, Shapley’s wins for the simple fact that when consistently used, i can get at least 2 to 3 inches of hair growth within 3 months. yes, i will break out the picture to prove that shortly. its everything that Monistat wants to be, without the hair shedding when you stop using it.

I ranked MegaTek Pet rebuilder over the Mane and Tail just because of what the Pet Rebuilder did for me in terms of stopping breakage, which is my main problem. It singlehandedly solved the issue of breakage Monistat kinda triggered… and reversed any other breakage as result. i use it as the Shower Rinse Conditioner anytime I can. For people who wear their hair OUT tho… I would say the Mane and Tail Conditioner is best for you… it keeps your hair healthy and thick, without having to rinse it out within 30 minutes of putting it in. lol.

Infusium also wins for its anti breakage properties. I like to add this to a little bit of rosemary spray (ladies who follow know whats up) for added strengthening properties. especially love to use this out the shower right before blowdrying.

Finally, Im loving what Darcy’s Peach Oil is doing for both my hair AND skin. in a winter where for the first time… i had dry skin as a result of dry, cold weather (WEIRD)… this oil helped my hair AND my skin in a real way, while leaving me smelling like a fresh peach. :D

honorable mention to Palmers Organic Olive Oil Spray. that was #5.2. lol.
and ladies who have been following, dont think that this is a negative reflection on Ovation whatsoever. i just havent had enough time with it as of yet. well see where that goes…. along with all the new products i hope to try out soon. Dr. Bonner’s hair line, Surge, and still.. Kinky/Curly.

getting back into the groove of things slowly. thought this might help you ladies with any questions you have or tips you need for new products, and what youre looking for. if you have any questions, feel free to shoot them at me. ill be back soon to get into Monistat vs. Shapley’s, as planned.

this is a product thats caught my eye lately. liquid keratin is supposedly really great for people with curly or frizzy hair (raises hand). from what im reading, it seems to be a great tool in straightening hair with long lasting results… but im more interested in what keratin can do for the overall health of your hair.
keratin is essential for healthy hair growth. its also one of the main ingredients used in MegaTek… which is why it works so well, and women are flocking to use it. so when i found out theres a STRAIGHT keratin product for your hair… I was intrigued.

now after googling several options, i found that most salon treatments have some kinda chemical (like formaldehyde) to aid in straightening. now im definitely NOT interested in the chemicals, but i am intrigued by the keratin factor. i managed to find a keratin treatment that does NOT contain any of the aforementioned chemicals (the link at the beginning of this post is the site). now its just finding any more information and review on this. everything ive read thus far has been mixed reviews… and really nothing from the af-am angle on how it works on our hair.

(p.s. hair advertising gurus, it doesnt help when you say ‘in our tests, studies show that 100% of women had softer, stronger hair!’ come on. thats what everyone says. i need some concrete proof. lmao)

ill definitely keep an eye on it, ask my hairdressers about what theyve heard. if its good feedback, ill give it a try. anyone else out there ever get your liquid keratin on? lemme know.

just putting you on to some old school awesomeness, infusium 23. a water based leave in conditioner, its a great product if youre looking to stop hair breakage, split ends, and promote stronger hair.

now as a kid, my mother would always use this product (along with the TCB, lol) when doing a leave in treatment. i would get a lot of hot oil treatments as a youngster, as i was on tetracycline as a kid for ear infections… and tetracycline is a total over loss when it come to hair growth (once again, this will probably be a blog of its own one day).
even then, i noticed that it stopped my from breaking off in large amounts… and really great as a weekly hair conditioner.

now i had stopped using this product for a good 7 years. mostly because i had forgot about it while using a ton of other products, and mostly because the shops around me weren’t selling it for whatever reason. i finally ran into it a few months ago while purchasing hair for my braids.

now, while it is a great standalone water conditioner for after shower usage, its also great as a styling aid as well (if you wet set your hair… this stuff is a dream). what i really like to do, for an extra growth kick, is add in a little bit of rosemary tea to it. from there, i put it in a spray bottle, and mist down my hair (or braids) every other day with it. its a great daily treatment if you want to strengthen your hair, while promoting its growth with the rosemary.

i know it might SOUND weird to some of you, but for me, its been nothing but hair growth win. the combo of that rosemary along with the infusium has done wonders.

if youre not into doing all of that, i still suggest you use the infusium as a standalone leave in if you have breakage or split end issues. its bound to get you some results in that category.

so yeah. rosemary is great all around. especially for your hair. and everyone should know about it.

it was one of those hair treatments that gramma used to tell me about all the time. always told me that it would make my hair grow thicker, keep the grey hairs from settling in. after getting over the ‘old wives tale’ stigma of it all, i started using it a few years back, just to see what my grandmother was yelling about. and sure enough, it works little mini hair miracles for me. when applied to the scalp and my hair, the result is thicker strands and better, more consistent growth than without the rosemary. also great for strengthening.

so whats behind it? well, rosemary is supposedly good for cell rebuilding, circulation, and hair follicle stimulation (according to all the research ive looked up over the years). its also supposedly contains high amounts of natural biotin, which is basically hair gold (in my experience).

so whats the deal? how do you use it? simple.
you can go buy fresh or dried rosemary (cheaper if its dried) from any grocery. or, you can luck out like me, and know someone who grows it fresh, and take what they dont use. loool.

jack move!

from there, all you do is put a pot of (preferably filtered) water on to a slow boil. drop your rosemary in, and let it do its thing for about 15-25 minutes. after boiling, i like to let the rosemary sit and stew for a minute. get all the extra goodness out. lol.

boil it down.

from there, i take the rosemary, get a cup and a coffee filter, and run it through really fast, to catch any dirt or left over residue. i take the rosemary tea and put it in a spray bottle ( you can buy em for cheap at your local hair supply store, or, just use a old mane and tail one like i do). you can use it straight as a daily spray, or you can do a rinse after deep conditioning your hair for extra strength and shine. either way is great.

what i like to do is add a key oil to it, as well as squeeze in some infusium 23 for an extra strengthening kick. infusiums been good to me ever since bringing it back into hair rotation a few months ago.

now normally, i add a vitamin e oil or a doo grow oil (great for stopping split ends) to the rosemary tea, shake it up up to combine the two, and spritz down my braids/hair with it once every few days. this time, im taking out the traditional oil to use the Shapley’s MTG. like i mentioned before, shapleys is a oil for the hair. great results so far, but strong, barbeque-ish/sulfur smell. im hoping the strong aroma of the rosemary tea will negate that. and im pretty sure it will. well see how it goes.

so yeah. go out and get you some rosemary. seriously. its pretty great, and ive had nothing but positive results from it. better yet, have you ever used rosemary? you got any questions about it? holler at me.

so, after a long, looong day of cleaning house in preparation for a trip down to San Diego for comicon, i decide its about that time to hop in the freshly cleaned shower, and moisturize the hair.

after washing down with the dr. bonner’s, i break out the MegaTek conditioner for the first time. again, i start to geek out. i cant wait to get this in my hair at this point, see how the product works over time. i was also eager to get it in my head as to cover up any left over smell from the Shapley’s MTGs (admitted, the smell dissipated over the day of cleaning).

the new power combo. i used the MegaTek leave in conditioner on the far right and the palmers olive oil you see @ far left. we’ll see how this goes.

didnt shampoo out the braids, as they are brand new (3 days in. washed out the fro thoroughly before braiding, which is mandatory). i really cant wait to get to the MircoTek shampoo however. as promised, the MegaTek smells like loveliness. like a fresh coconut/almond oil scent. also, its lightweight creme, but rich in texture. feels good going in. hit up the scalp and edges with direct creme. gotta admit, i used a large amount. may need to fall back next time. lol.

MegaTek is what us hair nerds call a ‘Protein Intense’ product. great for the thin hair, prone to breaking. also another product intended for equine use, until some brave human had the guts to try it on themselves. lol. no worries people, this has been tested safe for humans and is cruelty free, as mentioned all over the side of the package.
checking out the directions and ingredients in the back, they arent playing. high in keratin and marine protein, amino acids, and allantoin (supposedly good for growth). and good news for me, it does negate the smell of Shapley’s left in my hair. win. after making sure the creme was well worked into my hair, i hit it with the palmers organic olive oil spray, and broke out the silk hairwrap.

so far, an all around win.

so as the game of life tends to go sometimes, we play the waiting game.
it looks like im probably gonna use this maybe once or twice a week.
ill fall back to my daily moisturizer. usually made of rosemary and vitamin e oil, im thinking of replacing the vitamin e oil with Shapley’s. im finding that the rosemary also helps negate the barbeque-ish smell of SMTG. after rinses/washes, ill rub in some MegaTek for strengthening.

so thats about it.

next up… i should (and will) explain the science and reasons for rosemary being important in my life. lol.
enjoy.

so Shapley’s is truly one of those products that ive been geeked to use. ive heard of it in years past, but never really had the time, resources or energy to trace it down and pick up a bottle. plus, the fact that it was mainly for hair use on horses had me thrown a bit. i had a solid range of products i was using, and at the time, there was no room for shapley’s. until now.

with the recent end of an era of my Virgin Hair Oil, i found myself needing a good back up oil that i could use with my daily rosemary moisturizer (again, this deserves its own blog. well get to that). the regular vitamin e oil/doo gro oil i was using wasnt as effective anymore, and it was time for a change up. while hair nerding it up on the interwebs, another good friend of mine (hey @inaccurate map!) suggested and reminded me of SMTG (shortened acronym). which lead to the purchase of the large bottle off amazon.com.

imagine the level of geekiness when the bottle got to the house. i was all excited and ready to go. but then… i was reminded of one of the downfalls to this great product; the smell. while it isnt the worst thing on the planet, i was a little hesitant to throw oil in the braids that smells basically of bacon and liquid smoke. lol.

on the upside… i do have the MegaTek (we’ll get to that later) and a new virgin olive oil/vitamin e infused product from palmers, and both of the products smell WONDERFUL. im hoping i can use them to mask the smell of barnyard barbeque going on over here. lol.

so im going for it. shaking up the product (theres a lot of grit at the bottom of the bottom that seems to be important), and testing it out around the edges and back of the scalp… my choice testing areas should something fail and my hair falls out. lol. so far, so good. nice warm, tingly feeling at application areas… much like leaving an anti dandruff conditioner in your hair for a while. but warmer. always a good sign when you get that tingle. for the most part. the smell seems to be waning as i apply it directly to the scalp. again, a little noticeable, but not majorly, stop traffic with the smell overpowering.

well let this set for a little while before i put in the MegaTek for the first time. :D